Power Cables for Krell FPB300


Looking for insights and first hand experience with various 20amp power cables on the Krell FPB300 amp. I just made a deal to buy one with stock cord included. None of my personal inventory of cables have 20amp IEC, so I am wondering about people's experiences with the stock cord and others. Hoping to spend less than $500 used/demo etc. and not averse to using the stock cable if it would make sense. I know that rarely does, but since Krell occasionally made the power cables captive, perhaps they felt that the stock cables are more than just a low cost alternative. Thanks in advance,
Cheers,
Spencer
128x128sbank

I’ve got Emotiva XPR-1 amps, which also use the rare 20A IEC (C19) connector. I don’t know if Krell does anything special with their power cords, but I’m going to assume it’s a generic 12awg or 10awg cord (nothing special like OCC or exotic types). The only company I’ve seen that had an option to put 20A IEC connectors on their cords are Audio Sensibility. Google for their website. They are in Canada, so the prices are CAN currency. He ships to US locations using USPS Priority Male and I can state that the guy is very reputable. I have bought many things from him.

Alternatively, you can re-terminate your Krell power cord with different IEC/Male connectors (or build or your own using your preferred A/C wire). The only choices you have is Wattgate or Furutech, depending on what kind of sound you are looking for. DO NOT buy the Wattgate EVO connectors. They use hex-head set screws and are a pain to work with.

Wattgate Classic standard (brass) - these are very fast/clean sounding, but I have found them too forward/strong/solid-state/sterile for my tastes. I would say to use the brass connectors if you have a very laid-back preamp/source you are trying to compensate for (such as tubes or other). Otherwise, it may be too strong/solid-state sounding for you.

Wattgate Classic gold/silver - I have not tried either of these, but the silver-plated option is nice if you like the "silver" sound. It may be weaker on the bass/mid-bass frequencies. The gold-plated may help calm down the brass signature of Wattgate.

Furutech gold-plated - Excellent if you want a more laid-back warm sonic signature, but still has excellent resolution. This can be too laid back and lacking in detail or "separation of instruments" in some cases. The bass is strong and full, but not as tight/punchy/deep as rhodium below.

Furutech rhodium-plated - Excellent resolution. very fast with good strong/tight/deep bass. Mids and highs are excellent resolution. In my opinion, these are the best connectors. However, they are very transparent and could reveal problems in other areas of the system. I have found if you go down this road, you may need to replace every power connector / fuse / interconnect with rhodium-plated to get all the way. But it is absolutely outstanding when you get there.

Either an ESP Essence or a RGPC would be a very good choice for your Krell. Buying power cords can be risky, but these 2 always make a positive improvement. It's rare to come across PC's that work with such a wide varity of components.
Hi Sbank 
sent u info through your virtual system page.
will you by plugging into a 20 amp circuit ?
Chris 
Call  Steve from cable company, they have plenty of power cables they can recommend...very nice and knowledgeable guy.

Guys, thanks for those suggestions. 
As a renter, adding 20amp line is near impossible. I am in old house with fuses not circuit breakers. Somebody mentioned that since the outlets are on opposite side of house from the fuse box, extra resistance will help my situation a bit. Fingers crossed on that...Cheers,
Spencer
I have a FPB 300cx and the stock power cord is not removable and it is 15A. In fact, krell told me they have run out of back plates and so I cannot get a plain IEC input on the back, I am stuck with the stock PC (which is fine, as far as I can tell.

 How is yours removable and 20A?

Neal
@nglazer It has 20amp IEC female and comes with a generic cable which I think I read somewhere(i.e. a forum post) that it's made by Belden. Cheers,
Spencer
Hi Spencer

The FPB series 300 and 600 models are 20 amp designs and should be used with 20 amp circuits if you want full power. This is made clear in the manual. 

http://krellonline.com/assets/support/FPB_ORIGINAL_SERIES_MANUAL_V982.pdf

It was also made clear to me by one of my tech's who is a Krell specialist, and also in talking to Dan years ago.   

The reason IMO that Krell put a 15 AMP prong on the end of their stock cord (the part that goes into the wall ) was to be able to generate more sales.